Journalist 'shot dead after failure to warn guards'

A BBC journalist was shot dead in Somalia after being delayed getting into her car because her guards had not been warned she was approaching, an inquest in Ipswich was told yesterday. Producer Kate Peyton's car was parked outside a hotel in Mogadishu, rather than in a compound which was full, it was said. Peyton, 39, felt she had to go to the war-torn country to secure a new contract. She had sent an email saying the trip "worries me on safety grounds". But yesterday the reporter who went with her said she sent another email saying: "This sounds like a great trip." The hearing continues. Rachel Williams

Couple guilty of sex on beach sent back to UK

A British couple convicted of having sex on a Dubai beach are likely to return to the UK by the weekend, a solicitor said yesterday. Michelle Palmer, 36, of Oakham, Rutland, and Vince Acors, 34, of Bromley, south-east London, were spared jail yesterday after appealing against their three-month sentences. They will be deported to the UK and pay a fine of about £170. After the ruling Palmer said: "It just proves our innocence after all the bad stuff that was written." Andrew Crossley, a London-based solicitor, said Acors and Palmer, who had been on bail, were "chuffed" at yesterday's decision. Press Assocation

Record numbers living with HIV in the UK

The number of people infected with HIV in the UK has doubled in the past four years, according to official figures. The total number of people living with HIV in the UK rose to more than 77,400 in 2007 - around 4,000 higher than in 2006. More than a quarter - 20,000 people - do not know they are infected. "It is very worrying that so many people remain unaware of their HIV status," said Dr Valerie Delpech, head of HIV surveillance at the Health Protection Agency, which produces the figures. Most of the 7,734 new diagnoses in 2007 were a result of heterosexual transmission abroad (4,260). Sarah Boseley

Judge's medical evidence of abuse injuries 'falsified'

A judge and bestselling author was accused yesterday of producing false medical records to support untrue and "grossly exaggerated" allegations she was abused and neglected by her mother as a child. Constance Briscoe, 51, is being sued by her mother, Carmen Briscoe-Mitchell, 74, over anecdotes contained in her memoir, Ugly. The high court heard that no medical records exist of any of the injuries Briscoe claimed to have sustained at the hands of her mother. She had told the jury that she had an operation on her breasts because of "nipple-twisting" and punching by her mother. The case continues. Helen Pidd

Fourth Outlaw convicted of Hells Angel murder

A fourth member of the Outlaws motorcycle club, Malcolm Bull, 53, from Milton Keynes, has been convicted of murdering Hells Angel Gerry Tobin. Bull was also found guilty yesterday at Birmingham crown court of possessing a firearm. Tobin was shot dead on the M40 in August 2007. The jury is considering the case against Karl Garside, 45, Dean Taylor, 47, and Ian Cameron, 46, all from Coventry. Sean Creighton, from Coventry, pleaded guilty before the trial. Dane Garside, of Nuneaton, and Simon Turner, from Coventry, were convicted of murder and firearms offences on Monday. Duncan Campbell